When automobiles were first produced in great volume they featured front bumpers which were deeply resilient and extended well in front of the body shell. Such bumpers were then essential on account of inadequacy in the braking system. They were also useful in pushing another car to get it started. With such bumpers, bumper gates came into limited use and were thought to be the solution to the task of opening and closing gates.
However when automobiles were given the new look after the second World War, streamlining became the vogue and front bumpers with little resilience were blended into the body shell. Further, yearly models varied the style of front bumpers, some being convoluted and others having variously designed and spaced cross bars. So now, applying bumper thrust directly to a gate is fraught with unacceptable risk of contact damage to the car and to the gate. Besides, a successful bumper operated gate must be stock-proof, economical, and workable under windy conditions. A new approach is therefore required to meet the need for a practical bumper operated gate.